Romans 1–2 & Genesis 1–3: A Narrative & Its Backstory
God is good, and in the midst of our ruin and the death and despair of sin, He offers the hope of the Gospel.
Read MoreCategory: Hope
A New Year’s Anchor of Hope
I wrote this post for New Year’s Day 2011. I’ve revisited it and revised it yet again for clarity because it continues to be read as people search for hope. I’ve left this one up so that if it turns up in a search, the link won’t lead to a page that says error, but […]
Read MoreThou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour
Carol of the Bells featured a hand bell choir in Taiwan. The lyrics of Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour were written in China by Frank Houghton, an Englishman. The words, the music and the story behind the writing of this hymn make this song one of my favorite Christmas carols. “…This hymn was […]
Read MoreCarol of the Bells
Bells have been used for centuries to mark events of significance. Carol of the Bells was composed by the Ukrainian composer, Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych, and is frequently performed by handbell choirs. These handbell ringers in Taipei are unique, however; their entrance and processional as they ring out the notes enhances and expresses the joyous melody. […]
Read MoreAnd the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and […]
Read MoreMary, Did You Know?
There are some songs with words and music so personally significant, I still remember the first time I heard them. Mary, Did You Know? is one of those songs. I first heard it sung by a small vocal ensemble at the water’s edge of a town harbor during an outdoor Christmas celebration ten years ago. […]
Read MoreFor Unto Us A Child Is Born…
The wonder and glory of the birth of Jesus resound in this chorus from Handel’s Messiah, and the passage from Isaiah spans time from His First Advent to His Second Coming. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name […]
Read MoreOh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel!
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) The roots of the music of Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel! go back to the 15th century.1 The Messianic titles in the lyrics, called the O Antiphons, are […]
Read MoreIn The Bleak Midwinter
In The Bleak Midwinter is a lovely Christmas carol written by English poet Christina Rossetti. I wanted to share it with you on a December Sunday morning. “Our God, heaven cannot hold him, Nor earth sustain; Heaven and earth shall flee away When he comes to reign; In the bleak midwinter A stable place sufficed […]
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Kindling for Candles 